The Bachelor
by thathuman
Summary: One man searches for love in twenty-seven women. He must narrow his choices down to two, when he will then decide which one to marry and which one to send home, or to send both home without an engagement ring. Romance ensues on this exciting adventure all caught on "camera." AU, based on the TV show, the Bachelor.
1. Max and the Bloody Hands

**Why, hello there! This is an MR fix but definitely (obviously) AU. This is just a fun story that popped into my head. I don't mean to copy any other works, but I haven't seen any like this...so! Are you guys ready for adventure and love?**

 **Disclaimer for whole story said one time because it gets annoying: I do not own Maximum Ride or the Bachelor. All credit goes to the respectful owners.**

 **However, I do claim right to this plot and a few of the characters.**

 **Without further ado, I present the Max and the Bloody Hands**

Another camera flashed, leaving the overwhelmed blonde dazed from the harsh bright light. The paparazzi had been snapping their fancy cameras all night, desperate to capture the exciting moment to publish in the tabloids for all of America to see and gossip about. Of course, they weren't allowed outside the limo, where the irritating light would ruin the filming, so they took all they could to document the first night of meeting the Bachelor.

 _The Bachelor._

That was new for Maximum Martinez, who had never watched the show until she had been signed up and accepted as a bachelorette. It was honestly for publicity; an up-and-coming author needed some form of advertisement, and her publisher had told her that the Bachelor was one of the most watched reality shows in the nation. Reluctantly, Max auditioned. She didn't think herself shallow enough to stoop to a reality show for her own fame, yet there she was, smiling and taking pretty photos along with hundreds of others. She felt out of her element, in a different skin, and she mourned that this wasn't a sports competition or a movie convention.

Turns out, she was pretty good TV material.

She was just as surprised as the other 26 girls in the competition when she was notified that she had been chosen, but the delight was momentary as soon as she read in the contract of the clothing requirements.

Max only owned one dress in her entire life, and that was senior prom. Dresses repulsed her. They were constricting contraptions that were honestly a waste of money. She preferred band shirts and jeans, but she knew she had a slim chance of lasting long if she chose a sloppy outfit; her style had to change.

For this, Max mourned.

For this, Ella, Max's sister, celebrated.

Ella had been waiting, _praying_ , for the day of Max's major makeover, and had wasted no time in dragging her to countless stores, trying on countless clothes, and spending what felt like a countless amount of money. Max, completely unsure of what was "in trend" and what was "garbage" let her little sister control the situation. Ella knew the reason of Max's decision to enter, and while she understood and supported it, she was excitedly hoping her big sister would finally fall in love. At 24 years old and having only one boyfriend, Ella found it time for Max to open a little room in her heart.

Max scoffed at this; there was no room left for love in her heart.

Not since _him._

She decided not to speak his name anymore. A flurry of emotions washed over her as she reminisced of the man who first captured her mind and heart. Most of the feelings now were red hot fury and dreary blue pain, but many times a silvery wistfulness would arise.

The point was that Max didn't believe in love anymore.

And with that happy and encouraging thought, the limo stopped. The seven other girls in the car squealed and squished themselves into the tinted windows to catch a glimpse of their future boyfriend awaiting in the courtyard before the massive mansion. Max didn't bother with trying to clamber over to slip a glance at him; she'd see him soon enough. She resisted the urge to vomit when she heard lovestruck and cliché phrases like "Oh! He's just as sexy as in the pictures!" and "He's so dreamy!" Preferring the surprise, Max had not searched up who the bachelor was this season and what he looked like.

The manager, holding a clipboard and pen in hand, called out the first girl's name. "Nicole Herrera," she said, nodding to a pretty brunette in a long blue dress. The tan-skinned woman squealed and stepped out of the limo. The other ladies watched in tense apprehension as Nicole went straight up to the black-haired suitor and hugged him, looping her arms around her neck. Before pulling away, she snuck a swift peck on his right cheek. Unsurprisingly, the girls in the limo gasped, but Nicole was led away soon enough and the next girl, Maya Blue, stepped out to meet the man.

The list became shorter and shorter as more girls left. Finally, Maximum Martinez was the last bachelorette left in the last limo. The manager looked up at her and smiled politely, saying, "Well, Maximum, it's your turn. Last but not least."

Max turned to the polo-clad woman and asked, "Any last minute tips?"

The manager's cheeks lifted into a more genuine smile. "Be as exciting but real as possible."

Max almost wanted to scoff. That would be pretty hard considering she didn't _want_ to date this random dude, and she couldn't afford to be sent home on the first night. "Real" would have to sit this one out.

Thanking the manager, Max opened the door. She felt her heart thump as she put one golden stiletto on the uneven stone ground, then the other. Stepping completely out, she stood for a couple of moments, gazing at the tall man standing quite a few feet in front of her.

He was certainly not unattractive, she admitted to herself, before feeling a light blush tint her cheeks as she saw him take her in, drawing his eyes up and down, appreciating the lacy green dress she was wearing.

Max didn't know much about makeup, but she hoped it covered blushes.

Looking away for a moment, she flipped her curled hair over her shoulder and began the stroll over to the bachelor. She picked her head up and confidently met his dark dark eyes, a wide (though fake) smile adorning her pretty face. It almost felt as if she were gliding, which surprised her since she had always had trouble walking in heels, and-

Her stiletto caught on an uneven stone and down went Max.

The sporty dirty-blonde tumbled ungracefully forward and hit the ground hard with her two hands. She stayed stunned on the cold stone for a few moments before laughing at herself, and once she started laughing, she couldn't stop. Here she was, meeting what was allegedly her potential husband, and she's falling like fish fall down a waterfall.

Suddenly, there was a hand on her bare shoulder, and she looked up to see the man gazing down at her with amusement in his eyes and a small smirk lifting his cheeks. He was undoubtedly sexy, Max decided, and her giggles quickly faded away.

He offered both his hands to her and helped her up; stumbling, she was shocked by his strength. Recovering quickly, she dusted off her dress-thankfully not torn- and started the conversation.

"Well," she stated with a smile both of embarrassment and confidence, "that was a perfect first impression, wasn't it?"

"Only if your dress had torn," he joked, "but you score points for the blood." Max glanced down to see her scraped and most definitely bloody palms. _Oh,_ she thought, _that's great. Blood on the first night. I can already tell this is gonna be a bloodbath._

"I made you fall, didn't I?" he continued, winking at her. "I mean, I _am_ quite the sight, but I never imagined that when the producers said girls would fall for me, they meant the ladies would _literally_ fall at my feet." At that, Max laughed, her nose scrunching up. He was actually funny, and obviously witty, and the young author could appreciate wit that could counter her own.

"I hope you don't expect me to fall every time I see you now. I'm Max." She wasn't sure whether to wave or shake his hand or hug, but he took control and reached down to hug her. Max let her arms hook around his neck, her fingers lightly tugging at the hair at the nape. Then, to Max's slight disappointment, he pulled away.

"Max...as in Maxine? Or just Max, like the boy's name?" he questioned, cocking an eyebrow.

"Maximum Martinez. That's my full name," she offered, resisting the urge to reply with a snarky comment about his own name, before remembering she didn't know it.

His eyes lit up in interest. "Wow. I've never heard a name like that before."

"Yea, my mom had an interesting taste in names," _but I'm the only child with an odd name,_ she wanted to add. Max opened her mouth to ask the man a question, but the producers in the background were signaling to him to hurry it up.

Sighing, he looked down at her. "It's been a pleasure talking to you, Max." She nodded silently, sending a close-lipped smile before turning to walk away. All of a sudden, he snatched her wrist, whipping her back around. She was about to go off on him for grabbing her when he held up both her palms and kissed them, sucking the blood off the skin. The action sent ripples of chills down her body, from her cheeks to her toes. She stared, unsure, as he pulled away.

Shaking her head, a smirk replaced the gape. "Sucking my blood? That's a new flirting technique," she commented.

He smiled-actually smiled- and shook his head, responding with, "I'm secretly a vampire and I want to feast on your blood."

"You know what? I'm going to call you Fang."

"I didn't bite you," he protested with a smiling scoff.

"Not yet." Max bit her lip and winked, ignoring the disgusted feeling that rose in her stomach. Fang seemed to like that answer, and nodded thoughtfully.

"I think I like that better than Nicholas."

 _So that's his name,_ Max thought, then told him, "I do too. I'll see you soon, Fang."

And she left and headed into the cocktail party that awaited her.

 **And end first chapter. Hope you all enjoyed! Leave a review! Comment about it! Thanks for reading XD Don't be afraid to ask questions! I would love to answer them, as long as they don't give the plot away ;)**

 **Song of the Chapter:**

 ** _New Romantics_** **by Taylor Swift**

 **Until next time,**

 **~Hunter**


	2. Prey and Predator

**Hello again! Just thought I'd whip another chapter out here. Thank you for those who have reviewed! It's awesome. Warning: Max gets a little mean in this chapter, but it's all for good reason (AKA she was provokedXD)**

 **Hope ya'll enjoy it and don't forget to comment!**

 **And now, Prey and Predator.**

Max burned with hot embarrassment as she turned away from the barrage of cameras and producers that had been silently feasting on her first interaction with the Bachelor. She wanted to slap herself for actually _feeling_ anything and caring about what Fang thought about their first meeting.

 _Fang._

Where had that even come from? Max was baffled at her own silly creation of a name. She was an author, for goodness sakes! She gave characters names all the time and her imagination and creativity was broader than anyone she knew.

And what did she come up with?

Tooth. She called a guy Tooth.

What a perfect start to a relationship.

Max raised her hands to her cheeks in an attempt to cool the fire that was blazing there. She assured herself her embarrassment was because she had made a fool of herself in front of possible fans, readers. But, Max told herself she would make up for it by capturing Fang's attention tonight. She needed to in order to stake her claim as one of the popular favorites.

She needed the first impression rose.

Honestly, Max thought the idea of a first impression reward was pointless besides drawing the audience's attention to one girl early on. Lots of controversy, lots of theories, blah blah blah blah blah...It was all gibberish, gossip, and irrelevant crap to Max. Who cares if a girl caught his attention? Seeing 27 women in one night and remembering one in particular seemed more like an accomplishment than a sign of love at first sight.

But she knew it was important for the show.

The obnoxious giggles and chatter of multiple women interrupted her thoughts. Max cautiously stepped from uneven stone onto marble floor and gazed around in wonder at the colors and furniture and plants and lights and how expensive everything was. The setup was stunning.

"Um, _hello?!_ " Max shifted her gaze to where a redhead was staring at her, clearly annoyed. "Yes, you," she said, gesturing towards Max. "I've been trying to get your attention for, like, five minutes. Are you deaf or something?" She then rolled her eyes, and Max had to suppress the urge to droop her shoulders. _Great,_ she thought tiredly, _I haven't even been here for ten minutes and I've already got a predator on my tail._ The blonde crossed her arms, acutely conscious of the cameras looming on the outskirts of the room as stalkers with a shiny black face. A few girls sitting with the redhead began laughing like a joke had been said, and the mean woman herself smirked and cocked an eyebrow at Max as if challenging her.

 _Where are we? High school?_ Max wondered, almost snorting at the stupidity of it all. Instead she replied, "It's nice to meet you too. I'm Max."

The other woman laughed and joked, "Ha! Max, like a _man's_ name?" She narrowed her eyes at Max "Are you secretly a boy?" Looking Max up and down, she then pushed on, saying, "I mean, I wouldn't be surprised; you don't exactly have much to offer." This time, more girls joined in the laughing. "Oh, take a joke sweetheart," she told Max, noticing the author's blank face. "It's okay to be an A. In fact, we should all love our bodies the way they were made." She said seriously, glancing to each girl.

 _For the cameras,_ Max thought.

"I _am_ happy with my body," Max insisted, but the woman shook her head sympathetically.

"Oh, honey, I can see it in your body posture. Maybe one day you can accept your body, but I doubt Nick would want to show off a table top."

At the jab, the tsunami of terrible memories and words flooded in like the walls of a stone fortress crumbling apart. Her impassive mask cracked as her lips turned downwards into a frown and her eyebrows furrowed slightly to resist her burning eyes from dropping water.

Then Max got pissed.

She clenched her fists by her sides and returned a glare to the fire-head, who was still gloating about her joke.

"At least I don't have to get implants to be happy with my body," Max retorted.

And all of a sudden, the whole room was deathly silent.

One of the camera men gasped while another had to put his hands over his own mouth to contain his laughter.

The smug smile was wiped off the redhead's face, to be replaced with a wide-eyed, stunned look as her mouth opened and closed like a fish. All of the other girls' eyes went straight to her chest.

"They-They aren't...They're not-"

"How dare you assume such a thing?!" A tiny Asian woman spouted, angrily popping her hands on her hips.

"Well, _sweetheart_ , they're way too close together to be natural, they're too high up (even _with_ a push-up bra), they look like cantaloupes, and your surgeons did a terrible job with cutting in. Your scars are extremely noticeable," Max explained.

The redhead quickly folded her arms across her chest to cover the scars that could be seen by her armpits. She looked away as her lip wobbled, then abruptly stood and ran away, quite a feat with the daunting stilettos she had strapped to her ankles. Her sobs were loud and childish as she left the room.

The Asian girl and a brunette woman stood up and followed her, but before leaving the room completely, the brunette turned to Max and asked her, "Was that really necessary? Why would you feel the need to attack Lissa like that?"

Max scoffed. "If she loved her body as much as she preached to you to love yours she wouldn't be upset," she reasoned.

The brunette shook her head. "You're a terrible and immature little girl. I hope Nick sends you home tonight," she spat before leaving, her nose held high.

The area was silent for a few seconds, and Max began to awkwardly play with the green lace sleeves of her dress, feeling absolutely uncomfortable as the other women began whispering furiously to each other. But Max was saved from a long-term embarrassment as a platinum blonde, who had watched the interaction between Max and Lissa from a bar stool, stood and made her way over to Max.

"Don't worry about those biatches," she joked with a startlingly bright smile, "That was _way_ cool. Lisa's been hounding on everybody," she said quietly, swinging her hands across the loose, silky fabric of her bright blue dress. "You're the first to stand up to her."

"Oh, gosh, I hope I'm not the last," Max replied with a small smile.

"Well, I think you've set a great example for the rest of us," the small girl said. "How did you even know about that stuff?"

Max giggled and told her, "High school anatomy class. It was a project on the effects of outside and foreign materials in our body."

The smaller girl began to laugh. "See!" she said, "You _do_ learn something useful in high school!"

"I guess so."

"I'm Riley, by the way," she introduced.

"I think you already know my name." Riley nodded, and Max let out a small sigh. "That was definitely not how I wanted to introduce myself to everybody."

"Really? It was quite an exciting introduction. Plus," she added, lowering her voice, "the producers _loved it_."

Max muttered a noncommittal agreement, desperately hoping people wouldn't throw too much shade on her for being outspoken.

"Here," Riley said, grabbing a glass from a stacked pile on a side table and pouring champagne into it. "Have a drink."

Max gratefully took the glass and together the two walked around and socialized. They even laughed loudly as Zoe Quinn, a spunky and tall young woman wearing a hot pink dress, made a spot on impression of Lissa's emotional exit.

"Speak of the devil and she shall appear," Riley muttered as a sniveling Lissa entered with her two sidekicks, Kristina Jameson and Vanessa Ivory. The group immediately switched topics and started talking about their hometown.

"I came from L.A.," Riley gushed. The excitement was contagious as the girls talked about their dreams of shopping, meeting people, and watching the movies in Hollywood. Max pitched in about how walking down the Hollywood Walk of Fame was interesting and . "But it's not all glamorous," Riley sheepishly said. "There's an insane amount of traffic, a lot of people who need help, and everything is _so_ overpriced."

"Not as bad as New York City," Whitney Tapp chimed in, brushing a strand of black hair behind her ear. Lots of gasps followed along with a flurry of questions about the Big Apple. Max was quickly catching on to the fact that these girls obviously didn't travel, and she was astonished.

Traveling was a whole part of Max. It was something deeply entrenched in her heart, an activity that kept her on her toes. Being in the air, visiting exotic places, and experiencing rich history and inspiration...Max could never give that up.

She almost hoped-

 _No._ She stopped herself from thinking any more about it.

"What about you, Max? Where do you come from?" Riley asked her.

"Oh, Arizona...Definitely not as exciting as L.A. or New York City." The girls giggled.

"Do you live near Phoenix?" Zoe wondered.

"No. My town is way out in Nowheresville." Then Max switched topics to Nick.

They made small talk about the attractive bachelor for a while, putting on their game faces as the cameras creeped around and zoomed in and tracked every woman. It was _almost_ impossible to pretend they were invisible, but it was an absolute hopeless cause to be relaxed. The atmosphere was thick with perfume and tenseness.

It didn't help that Fang was taking his time to join the party. Hours had passed, and Max dutifully noted that there were no clocks...anywhere. By the position of the moon, Max guessed it was a little past midnight.

"What on earth do you think is taking so long?" Zoe groaned, flicking her green eyes to the entrance and then back to the group.

"Maybe he's trying to memorize everybody's names. There's a lot, you know," Whitney reasoned and the girls grudgingly agreed.

Riley piped up, "Or maybe-"

"Hello ladies. Sorry for the wait."

 **So, I know it wasn't super exciting but it introduced a lot of characters. You will see all of them throughout the story, and they each play an important part. As for the part with Max and Lissa, I personally do not have experience in this field and I researched tell-tale signs. I meant no disrespect or offense.**

 **Review! Read! Ask questions!**

 **Song of the Chapter:**

 **Victorious by Panic! At the Disco**

 **Until next time,**

 **~Hunter**


	3. Disney Behavior

**I know, I know, it's been so long...sorry! But here I am! The story isn't dead!**

 **Enjoy!**

"Hello ladies. Sorry for the wait." At the foot of the steps was the one and only Chris Harrison (Max swore he was immortal and never aged), wearing a simple gray suit. He fixed his plain white tie as his light gray eyes traveled over the twenty seven beautiful girls. Grabbing a glass of champagne from a corner table, he announced that Nick was just preparing a few things before he joined the party. The girls nodded sympathetically and murmured to each other. Max caught tendrils of different conversations; "He's so mysterious!" from one dirty blonde talking to a tall brunette; "...bet he has good abs" from Whitney to Zoe; "I call dibs" from Lissa to Kristina Jameson, the asian girl who snapped at Max earlier. The young author rolled eyes in annoyance and felt as if she were the only realist in the room as all other girls swooned over this man as if they were in a Disney movie.

They all shifted anxiously in towering heels as they waited a few more minutes in hushed whispers and spontaneous laughter. Max found herself people watching, a bad habit she had inherited from her mother, but yet a useful tool. From body language she could tell that Giselle Wolffe was an introvert with a lack of self-esteem and Lyla Till was just a little too prideful for her ignorance.

Then Max caught a glance of the big camera and the blinking red light that told her it was digesting every conversation and realized she needed to start mingling; she was standing completely alone in the middle of the room watching people. If that didn't scream "creepazoid," Max didn't know what did. So she shuffled her way over to Maya Blue and Brigid Dwyer and added small and unnecessary comments into their conversation about makeup. Max internally groaned in displeasure; this was absolutely the worst conversation she could have joined. She hated the sticky feeling of watery mud on her face or drawing on her eyes with a crayon. Max was so tempted to make a getaway to Whitney and Riley, who stood facing away from her just a little bit father away...

Then the whole room went still yet electrified with excitement. It was completely silent, and Max wondered if her breathing was really loud because that was the only thing she was hearing. Eyes flicked to the entrance and Max whipped around clumsily, wanting to see what the scary roboticness was all about. Lo and behold, there stood the ladies' Prince Charming, their "one and only," standing and gazing across the room.

"Let's make a toast," he started, snagging a glass of champagne from a wandering waitress and approaching the girls, who entered pack mode and swarmed inwards, all trying to get to the front. Max tried not to wince as one girl accidentally stepped on her toe. The stiletto cut the skin and began to bleed. _Ouch,_ she thought, _those things are like knives._ "To love, adventure, and memories. I look forward to knowing each of you and finding my true love and best friend," Nick declared, raising his glass and sending a handsome grin into the crowd. The girls threw out their agreements as they clinked glasses with one another.

"And now, let the cocktail party really begin. Lissa, would you mind taking a walk with me?"

 **Alright! So now the cocktail shall begin! Review and the next chapter will come soon!**

 **Song of the chapter: Hypnotic by Zella Day**


	4. No Escape

**Hi! Shout out to Vballgurl287: It's summer break for me right now, so I'm going to try to update at least once every other day (and maybe everyday if possible). Thanks :D**

 **And now...enjoy!**

Max struggled to swallow the fire rising in her throat. She steamed as Lissa cocked her head innocently and flashed him a white smile, telling him that _of course_ she would go with him, _how_ could she refuse? Max wondered how Nick couldn't see straight through her orange spray tan and feel an ounce of attraction for such an ugly person.

But maybe that was the envy speaking for her.

It wasn't as if she was alone; she could tell that the other girls were envious, too. Even her sidekick, Kristina, gazed longingly at the entrance where Lissa had sashayed away with Nick on her arm. They had disappeared somewhere in the back where the pool was and the remaining women flocked to each other to gossip, apparently unaware of the cameras glaring at them.

Suddenly, it was too much. Her whole body felt heated and the women whispering in her ear combined with the harsh lighting against the dark of night and how tired she was and everywhere she looked there was a camera waiting for her to entertain and

She couldn't take it anymore.

The flustered girl tried to discreetly sneak away to the bathroom. She locked the door but didn't hear anyone-or any _thing_ -following her.

Sighing, she gripped the dark granite counters and stared at herself in the mirror. _What am I doing here?_ she asked herself, examining the plain makeup on her ordinary face and the dull color of her hair and the lace of her old-fashioned dress. _Nobody else is wearing so much lace..._ she fleetingly thought. _What if I look like a prude? Guys don't like prudes!_ Her thoughts spiraled out of control from a stupid complaint to a life-or-death situation.

The room seemed to compact in on her and suddenly she felt dizzy. The mirror was sliding up and down and the door seemed to reach out and try to slap her on the cheek. She couldn't breathe, forgot how to pull oxygen into her lungs, and she felt like she was seriously about to pass out-

Voices floating past snapped her back into reality. The room stilled, and she leaned against the door, trying to calm herself down. _Get a grip, Max! You're only here for self-promotion! Don't let Fang or any of these people get to your head._ And speaking of the devil, she recognized one of the voices as Nick, his deep and attractive voice easily for Max to catch. He had apparently made a joke as the girl he was with giggled flirtatiously.

Breathing in and out slowly, Max stood at the mirror a second longer before smoothing down her hair and leaving the bathroom. She didn't really know how long she had been in there, but she guessed it was quite a while; unlike her exit, her return was noticed not just by the girls, but by the cameras, too.

"Where did you go?" Riley approached from her place on the couch. She looked sleepy and Max guessed she was drunk by the way she was rocking from side to side. The blonde had seemed curious but more suspicious, and Max narrowed her eyes slightly at her.

"I went to the bathroom," Max told her truthfully, confused at why so many women were looking at her strangely.

"That was a long time in the bathroom, Max," Zoe pointed out. "I mean, what do you need to do for half an hour? Honestly." So she had been locked in a room by herself for a little longer than she had anticipated...So what?

Weren't these girls her friends just a half an hour ago? What had gotten into them?

"I think she was spying on me and Nick," Lissa piped up, folding her arms across her chest and glaring accusingly at Max. Whitney nodded her agreement and Riley added in a "yea, same."

"What? No! Why would I do that?" Max asked, bewildered.

"'Cause you're trying to scope out the competition," Kristina added, slightly slurring her words. Max briefly wondered if this harsh commentary was mostly due to the alcohol before responding.

She scoffed. "Honey, I can scope out the competition just fine in here."

Riley's hard voice surprised them all. She usually had a tinkling voice, very soft and feminine, but now she sounded more like an angry Sprite. "Fine, then you were trying to find out more about Nick to get more information than the rest of us."

"Can't I just do that during my one-on-one time with him?"

Nobody answered for a while, and Max felt a puff of triumph rise in her chest before it was squashed by disappointment. It was only the first night and girls were already turning on her. It was hard to imagine what the rest of her time here would be like.

The ladies were still glaring at Max in disapproval and she shook her head, protesting, "I really was in the bathroom. I needed a little break." Nobody accepted her excuse, and she was hurt to see Riley her eyes while Whitney still glared at her and Zoe picked at her nails and shook her head.

And the cameras were like kids in a candy shop.

Crestfallen inside, Max felt her face droop from shock to hurt and she thought, _God, this situation couldn't possibly get any worse._

But, of course, Max never got things easy.

The situation turned from embarrassing to humiliating in three seconds flat.

 _Spoke too soon._

 **Aww, poor Max...**

 **Review!**

 **Song of the chapter: Here by Alessia Cara**


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